19 December 2013

Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia

Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia44. Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia by Jason Loborik

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you've ever seen an Eye Witness book, this is one of those, even by the same publisher, DK. What that means is lots of pictures and basic information about the characters with sometimes silly/useless captions.

I would've liked something meatier, but then I started watching Doctor Who with the 4th Doctor. For someone newer to the series, or younger, this book would be a good overview of the characters from the series, original through current reboot ending before the recent "The Day of the Doctor" episode.


A year ago on TTaT: The Kindness of Strangers, part 3

07 December 2013

Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin

Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin42. Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin by Kathy Griffin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you have any doubts that Kathy Griffin deserves all she's attained, this book will put them to rest. She has busted her ass for years with a singular determination to achieve her success. For me, it reaffirmed and strengthened my opinion of her.

The book is biting and funny like her comedy. There are some heavier stories about her family and marriage but they don't weigh the book down. Rather they make you feel like you're seeing yet further behind the curtain.


A year ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #148 Milestones

06 December 2013

Life of Art SitRep #200 Two hundred? Woohoo!

Welcome to the two hundredth week of my life of art! (As chronicled here; it's been going on a lot longer than that.) 200 consecutive Fridays, that's really something.

I started the SitReps, or situation reports, to hold me accountable for making progress each week. I haven't needed them for that in a long time, but I like having a record and sharing what I'm working on.

This week was the continuation of adding new product types to my existing designs. I finished adding Powis iPad Air Cases, Perfect Posters,Pocket Journals, Pewter Snowflake Ornaments, Case-Mate iPad Air Cases, and DODOcase iPad Air Cases to all of my geometric patterns. I still have the last two iPad Air cases to add to all of my photographs. Oy! Still good progress though.
White Polka Dots on Red Journals
White Polka Dots on Red Journals by RocklawnArts
See more White polka dots Journals at zazzle.com
Blue and White Meander iPad Air Cases
Blue and White Meander iPad Air Cases by RocklawnArts
Check out other Navy Casemate Cases at zazzle.com
Red and White Gingham Pattern iPad Air Case
Red and White Gingham Pattern iPad Air Case by RocklawnArts
Find other Red and white gingham DODOcases at zazzle.com

Rocklawn Arts blogged New Pewter Snowflake Ornaments available at Rocklawn Arts!

Then I figured out where I left off creating Poker Chips, May28th Watches, Table Lamps, Hanging Lamps, and Big Greeting Cards and added them to 3 designs. Those should turn up in my shop soon.

Made my monthly backups.

Watched 1st 2 hours and ~1 hr 45 min after lunch break of DPReview LIVE workshop on cL.

How was your week? Don't forget to backup your computer!


A year ago on TTaT: Hoodie Holiday Song redux

29 November 2013

That kind of day?

As I was waking up this morning, I heard dogs barking outside, a fairly unusual occurrence.

My first thought was Bear, as in maybe they see a bear, not out of the realm of possibility here. I was not awake enough to think that's it's probably too cold out for bears now.

You can never be sure anyway, so I flung open the curtain of the window next to my bed. I saw a white dog chase a black dog behind the house next door. The white dog didn't look familiar. Oh, maybe that's all it is, i.e., a strange dog in the neighborhood.

Here's where things are fuzzy. In the same moment, I somehow knocked over my water glass throwing water everywhere as it landed on my rug with a thud.

I did not for a moment consider it might be broken but dove to the floor to retrieve it. There was about one sip of water left from a previously full glass. I set it down and grabbed a purple t-shirt full of holes and tears from a bag of old, too-beat-up-to-wear clothes at the bottom of my closet and sopped up the pool of water on the wood floor next to the edge of my rug.

I was thankful the power strip tucked next to my bed was turned off with all of its outlets closed. (It's there for the window A/C in the summer.)

I surveyed the damage. There were water spots along my bed which the glass must've bounced off. My pajama bottoms had spots and streaks of water on them. And I kept stepping on wet spots on my rug with my bare feet that seemed improbably far from the origin of the spill.

I hate stepping on wet spots. At least bare feet dry quicker than wet socks.

At this point, I took a break to pee. I brought back a couple of paper towels from the bathroom and checked that my glass wasn't leaking all over my chest of drawers. Fortunately, it was unbroken.

I opened my other curtains and scanned my rug for more wet spots, doing my best to get as much of the water out as I could.

Oddly, I still didn't feel particularly awake, just fogged because I still don't understand how I knocked the glass over in the first place.

So it's going to be that kind of day. Hmm.

Life of Art SitRep #199 Gobble, Gobble

I hope y'all had a tasty, restful Thanksgiving!

This week, I created big cards, poker chips, watches, and lamps as appropriate for the rest of my photographs in my shop, yay! There's still most of my designs to contend with but I'm making headway.
Snow-covered Trees: Vertical Hanging Pendant Lamp
Snow-covered Trees: Vertical Hanging Pendant Lamp by RocklawnArts
View more Snow covered trees Lamp-In-A-Box Lamp at zazzle.com
On The Golden Gate Bridge Table Lamp
On The Golden Gate Bridge Table Lamp by RocklawnArts
Find other Golden gate bridge Lamp-In-A-Box Lamp at zazzle.com
Red Dianthus With Raindrops Watches
Red Dianthus With Raindrops Watches by RocklawnArts
Find other Red flower May28th Watch at zazzle.com

Naturally 2 new iPad Air cases were added to Zazzle this week, so that's yet more products to add. It's getting a bit cumbersome to track what items I've added and which I've yet to do with my designs. I'll keep plugging away though.

Also created iPad Air Casemate cases, iPad Air Dodo cases, pocket journals, snowflake ornaments, iPad Air cases and Perfect Posters as appropriate for several of my designs:
Christmas Zigzag Journals
Christmas Zigzag Journals by RocklawnArts
Look at Christmas Journals online at Zazzle.com
Checkered Rainbow
Checkered Rainbow by RocklawnArts
Check out other Rainbow Posters at zazzle.com

Made my store categories show in rows of 4 instead of 3 and rearranged my store some.

How was your week?


A year ago on TTaT: Super Moon

22 November 2013

Life of Art SitRep #198 Plugging away

Remember last week when I thought I was nearly done editing descriptions and tags for my products? It took 4 more days, but I finished that at last, huzzah!

Then I dove back into adding new products (big cards, poker chips, watches, lamps, iPad Air cases and Perfect Posters) to my existing designs and photographs as well as two new products, snowflake ornaments and pocket journals. I have a long way to go but made some good headway.
Black and White Zigzag Journals
Black and White Zigzag Journals by RocklawnArts
Find more Black and white Journals at Zazzle
Snow-covered Trees: Vertical Ornament
Snow-covered Trees: Vertical Ornament by RocklawnArts
See other Snow covered trees Ornament at zazzle
Footprints in Snow
Footprints in Snow by RocklawnArts
See other Footprints in snow Posters at zazzle
Blue Bokeh Hanging Pendant Lamp
Blue Bokeh Hanging Pendant Lamp by RocklawnArts
Browse another lamp online at zazzle.com

Rocklawn Arts blogged Green Diamonds on White and Light Blue Diamonds on White.

Finished reading The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby and Popular Photography Nov. 13 and Dec. 13 issues.

Watched day 1 of Easy Exercises to Improve Your Vision with Dr. Eric Cobb on Creative LIVE. It continues on Friday, Nov. 22 at 9 AM Pacific time. A rewatch of the first day will be playing overnight before then. Good stuff!

How was your week?


5 years ago on TTaT: 21 degrees in November?